I’m My Own Bewitchment (Independent)

I’m My Own Bewitchment is the debut solo collection from Capitol 6/Sun Wizard singer-guitarist Malcolm Jack, and it’s uniquely billed as an “album zine”. This means that its 10 songs are a downloadable accompaniment to a 22-page book, which pairs typewritten lyric sheets with doodles by the songwriter himself and is available in a limited run of 100.

For anyone who has followed the singer’s other projects, the sound of these country-tinged tunes won’t come as a complete surprise, although I’m My Own Bewitchment is less psychedelic than Capitol 6 and less indebted to ’70s rock than Sun Wizard. Instead, the emphasis here is on Jack’s drawling Dylan-isms and cryptic, occasionally death-obsessed lyrics.

Opener “When Did I Become a Dream?” sets a sinister tone with angrily distorted guitar leads and a carnivalesque organ break, and Jack cynically sneers, “27 was nice on the obituary page/But it’s done.” Elsewhere, the rootsy bounce of “Worried ’Till I’m Buried” is similarly morbid, and includes lyrical references to fire, a hearse, and the devil; naturally, the accompanying doodle shows a skull crying big, fat crocodile tears.

While the album includes the occasional upbeat excursion—most notably the twangy jangle of “Moon Sees the Night”—the bulk of these tunes emphasize minor-key melodies and paranoid self-criticisms. Still, even if they lack the sunny brightness of some of Jack’s locally renowned past works, the unique package makes it a welcome addition to this prolific songwriter’s quickly expanding oeuvre.